As is well known in the art, flanges and flange plates are standard fittings for coupling pipes, eduction tubes and the like to railway tank cars, truck tank trailers, and like vessels to facilitate loading and unloading of liquids such as hydrocarbons and corrosive chemicals therefrom.
While there have been improvements in the flange plate and eduction tube art, the prior art still appears to be deficient from the vantage point of reducing flanges being limited for example to each of 4″×3″ flange; 4″ flange×2″ flange; 6″ flange×3″ flange. Eduction pipe flanges have heretofore been limited to low profiles such as 2.5″. It will be appreciated by those conversant in the art that flanges have heretofore accepted only studs to secure connections.
Furthermore, it will also be appreciated that adapter flange plates are commonly segmented into two pieces, and adapter flange plates have been treaded directly thereinto. And, as will be readily appreciated by practitioners in the art, a common prerequisite of effective coupling of pipes to railway tank cars and the like is achieved by using two wrenches for imparting sufficient torque and tightening particularly of relatively large flange bolts.
What is needed in the art are versatile flange plate embodiments capable of being and remaining assembled during installation thereof in situ in a railway tank car or the like and also being disassembled to replace either an upper flange or a lower liner flange. Thus, such an in situ serviceability benefit has been heretofore unknown in the art.
It will also be understood that another need in the art is for a flange adapter plate that affords a lower profile than has previously been available wherein and which, of course, enables coupling of various appurtenances and pipe assemblies while complying with established railroad guidelines.
Another structural feature that would afford advantageous flange adapter plate functionality would be to include T-slot configurations for accommodating both relatively small bolt patterns and relatively large bolt patterns to enable bolt-heads of the like to be surprisingly easily secured to the extent that the conventional practice of using a wrench would be eliminated.